Long Island High School Girls Varsity Basketball Win 1st League Title In 41 Years

MASTIC BEACH, NY — The William Floyd Colonials' Girls Varsity Basketball team have won their first league title since 1982 and a playoff spot for the second consecutive season with a 13-3 league record, 14-6 overall, school district officials announced in a news release.

Floyd will be the fourth seed in Section XI’s AA playoff bracket, the highest seeding in program history, earning the team a place in the quarterfinals, according to school district officials. The girls’ first playoff game will be on Saturday at noon against the winner of the game between Sachem High School East and Smithtown High School West.

Head coach Rich Sinclair stated that he returned 10 players from last season’s 16-5 team.

“The girls had a tremendous preseason," he said. "Once fall sports ended, they put time in the gym in October and November to get a jumpstart on preparing for this year. Many girls also participated in our summer league and worked out in the gym over the summer.”

The team roster includes Keyaisia Brewster, Emma DiMaio, Kayla Gilmore, Payton Lavallee, Amy Lin, Kayden Meyer, Victoria Nelson, Natalie Samlihan, Jacky Sutherland, Ava Tiedemann, Alyvia Verga, Andie Will and Arianna Zeldin.

In addition to Sinclair, there are assistant coaches Robert Hodgson, Max Campbell, and Michael Clauberg.

The Colonials won a hard-fought double overtime game against Sachem North by a score of 68-67 on Feb. 2, according to school district officials. “We needed a total team effort to win that game. The girls came together and made plays when they needed to most," Sinclair stated.

In the victory, the Colonials were led by juniors Gilmore, who finished the game with a triple-double, including 21 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals, and five assists, and Sutherland, who had a career-high 33 points, school district officials said.

Meyer had a career-high seven assists, and Verga chipped in with a career-best nine points, school district officials said, adding, that the go-ahead field goal, coming with 14 seconds left in double overtime, was scored by Nelson.

The team's starting five this season have been "stellar," school district officials said.

The duo of All-County players Gilmore and Sutherland are both in the top 15 in points per game in Suffolk County, according to school district officials said. Meyer is coming off an All-League season and continues to anchor the Colonial defense, leading the team in rebounds and blocked shots, according to school district officials.

Senior point guard Brewster has been a varsity starter for the past four seasons and does "a lot of the little things that make Floyd successful," school district officials said, adding that LaVallee is another "key piece" to the defense and she "plays hard on both ends of the court."

Verga and Samlihan are two quality players off the bench for the Colonials who provide much-needed scoring and defense when the team needs it.

Sinclair stated that there are "many talented teams in the playoffs this year."

"We have county championship aspirations and know it will not be an easy task," he said. "If our team is able to advance past the second round and get to the final four, it will be the first time in program history.”

Section XI charges admission to playoff games. Click here for more information on brackets and tickets.